I wish I got my MLS. I have an undergraduate degree in School Media services. I found out that I didn’t really like working in schools and preferred public libraries. Unfortunately having an undergraduate degree in library science is more than useless in the public library system. Even though I have years of experience cataloging and processing books, I can’t get a job in original cataloging (I could get processing, but that job sucks, IMO) Even though I’ve done reference and reader’s advisory for years, I can’t get jobs in those fields. Even though I have a degree in education and several years special experience and training in running a library exclusively designed for kids, I can’t be a children’s librarian. I have a few years of public library programming under my belt, but in this economy, nobody is hiring. They are also cutting back on the non MLS staff and shifting the MLS people around (in my town, MLS workers are protected by a union so they can’t cut them out.) It’s SO frustrating not to be able to work in my field. And I don’t have time to get my MLS.
Long story short, I’d love to be a librarian and not need the MLS. I would like children’s services, youth services, young adult services, programming (which means creating events—not computer programming) reference, readers advisory or cataloging..